Behind the Walls

Part Three- Jasper

026.9 Hours Since Quartz's Disappearance

I wake up slowly. My head is pounding, and I can't focus right away when I sit up. The room spins. The first thing I realize is that the room around me isn't familiar. I shake my head and force myself to think through the disorientation.

The room is small, almost achingly so. I'm sitting on a thin mattress resting on a creaky spring frame that's been shoved into the corner. The walls and floor are concrete. There's a dresser in one corner, and in the other, a thin walls has been built to section off an small area of the room. A simple toilet and sink are crammed into the space. Am I in prison? It would make a lot of sense, I guess, but I can't remember what I've done.

Actually, I can't recall hardly anything at all. The pounding in my head seems to double every time I try think back to how I got here. My clothes are just as unfamiliar as my surroundings. I toss the thin blanket off my lap and quickly stand up to my feet. The room sways, and I stumble. The wall provides me a bit of support before I can focus again. My feet are bare on the concrete floor. This room is strangely warm all over. My long pants and shirt are both made of the same plain material. The only significant feature is a small logo that's printed on the wrists of my sleeves. What the hell is going on here?

I jump when a loud buzzing sound bursts into the room. With it comes a loud boom as the lock to the room's door comes undone. I didn't even notice it was an iron door. For some reason, my lack of observational skills really bothers me. The door creaks open a few inches after the lock is gone. A electronic lock like that couldn't have just been for my room alone. As if to confirm my suspicions, I hear voices out in the hall. They chat and talk and laugh before I hear footsteps come closer.

By some old instinct, my body automatically sinks down into a fighter's stance when my door is yanked open. What the hell have I been through to have these reactions? It feels natural to be wary. The young man who opened my door freezes and cocks their head when they see me waiting like that. He's dark sinned, with darker hair. He looks younger then me. Well, I don't know how old I look, actually. What really puts me off is his eyes. They're a striking shade of deep purple that I'm sure eyes aren't suppose to be. His pupil is shaped like a jade green diamond.

"H-Hey! Uh, I see you're a little jumpy. That's probably a reasonable response", he lets go of the door and chuckles a little. "You're also probably confused, but that's ok! I'm here to show you the ropes. The name's Mico, and you're Jasper, right?".

The name clicks, and my frown deepens. "How do you know my name? What is this place?". I shuffle my back foot to the side in preparation for lunge.

"Well, the director told me you're name, but there's also a name tag on your shirt. It's the one thing you get to keep. It's shower time, and if you don't want to stink, I suggest you hurry on up", Mico just shrugs. He turns on his heal and disappears out of sight.

I remain in my stance for several more moments before I straighten. Show me the ropes? I'm so confused. I'm weary of things I don't knows, and there's an awful lot of that going around, but Mico doesn't seem like he was a threat. If he's to be believed, then it's actually quite the opposite. Camping out in this cell won't do me any good.

Mico is standing outside and waiting for me when I step out into the hall. He smiles and beckons for me to follow him. I don't have much of a choice but to comply. Several other rooms identical to mine are wide open and empty. My gut clenches when my eyes drift down to the end of the hall. An armed guard stands in the corner watching us. They're wearing a reflective face shield that hides their identity. Worse, there's a holstered gun on their belt.

While all the alarms in my head are blaring, and my body gears up for a fight, Mico doesn't act concerned at all. He continues to walk calmly and strolls right past the guard to turn the corner. I have to follow him, but my eyes never leave the guard. Their mask briefly reflects a silhouette of my own face. Mico doesn't comment on my behavior if he noticed at all.

When we turn the corner, the space opens up into a large room. The left side looks like a cafeteria with just three small tables. The right turns into tile, and judging from the signs on the walls, the two hallways that lead off from there are male and female bathrooms.

"Is this a prison?". I finally have to ask the big question and break the silence.

"No! What gave you that idea?", Mico looks baffled, "No one is a prisoner here. This is just the best place to do our work. Don't worry, you'll learn soon enough. Our work is extremely important". I'm too confused to ask more questions. Why would there be guards if this wasn't a prison?

Mico leads me into the bathroom. It's spacious and pristinely clean. I can hear a shower running in one of the stalls when we walk in. I can't help it. As soon as I see it in the corner of my eyes, I spin around to stare at the mirror. Thank God! My face actually feels like my own. I must have a good five to seven years on Mico, and judging by the stubble, I haven't shaved in a few days. My dark black hair is in disagreement with my pale skin. Again, I'm drawn to the eyes. My eyes are creepily similar to Mico's. The diamond shaped pupils are a deep blue, any my iris is a striking gold color.

"My eyes..... I have to cover them up. No one's suppose to see my eyes", I mumble. I don't know where it came from, but I'm terrified that my eyes are unhidden for everyone to see.

"Oh yeah! You must have been hiding your eyes for years if you've only been brought on now. Don't worry, we all have them. Our eyes mark us as perfect for our job". Mico must have heard me. I only look away from the mirror when he shoves a pile of clothing into my arms. "Here. Go ahead and jump into the shower. We've only got about fifteen minutes until breakfast". Mico pulls out a set of clothes in his own size from cubbies on the wall.

Wordlessly, I follow his orders and quickly lock myself into a shower stall. I still have no God damned idea what's going in in this place, but I have a feeling I'll learn if I just go along with. One thing is for sure: I don't belong here. The shower stall has a bench inside that I deem far enough to keep my extra clothes dry. There are dispensers along the wall that I assume are full of soap. Despite how this entire situation has me off balance, the only thing I can really do right now is take a shower.

I quickly get undressed. Today has already been confusing enough. I nearly scream when I find a fucking pocket stitched into the inside of the underwear I was wearing. These underwear aren't identical to the ones that Mico had given me. I'm guessing that I must have been wearing them when I was brought here, and they're the only article of clothing that wasn't replaced.

The secret pocket is too small to hide anything useful like a knife or any other weapon. When I do push out it's contents, a small locket falls into the palm of my hand. I'm standing naked into the shower when I flip it open. Inside is a picture of three people. A younger reflection stares back at me. God, this photo must have been taken when I was in high school! My arms are thrown around a girl with bright red hair, and a boy with brown hair. He looks a little younger than the girl and I. The small name 'Jas' is engraved on the inside, and I guess it's just short for Jasper. I don't recognize these people, but at the same time, seeing their faces sends a pang of longing though me.

The pocket held one other thing besides the locket. It's a small pieces of folded paper with just one word.

'Remember'